Jade Finlay (M.A Research Psychology, B.A Hons. Counselling Psychology)
Many people have had to cancel plans to visit family and friends both internationally and nationally, many people have had to miss out on key events in their families’ lives such as births, birthdays, mother’s day and graduations. In times of difficulty and uncertainty, your friends and family are usually the people you want around you the most, being under lockdown means that many people are not able to see the ones they love. Missing out on key events and the inability to surround ourselves with our friends and family during this uncertain period may intensify feelings of anxiety and stress during lockdown. So how can we cope with not seeing our loved ones during lockdown?
As I have mentioned in my previous blog it is important to have conversations with your children and explain why they are not able to visit their grandparents or other family members. In the absence of this conversation many children may be left with a sense of loss and this could be overwhelming for them. If they have the facts and understand why they cannot see loved ones then this may decrease their feelings of loss.
Make to time have a virtual coffee date with friends, people always talk about how busy they are or how they haven’t got in touch with certain people in a long time, now is a perfect time to take some time out and reconnect with friends and family. Relationships and connections with other people help provide us with a sense of belonging and purpose. Play a game of online scrabble with your gran! Watch a movie with a loved one (virtually) using Netflix Party! Loneliness among the elderly was already a topic of concern prior to Coronavirus, it is even more of a concern now and it is vital that this community is not forgotten about and we still connect with them virtually. Take this time to really connect with people through conversation and tell them what they mean to you. If everyone feels connected to someone this will help combat feelings of loneliness and helplessness. Connecting with people virtually during this time will help improve mental wellbeing and help combat feelings of isolation and anxiety. Missing out on key events will leave us with a sense of loss and we need to mourn this, so it is important that we recognise these feelings and work through them. Reach out to people in your community who are trained to help out as I have mentioned before many counsellors are still running online and telephonic services.
Whilst I understand that communicating through video chats and social media is not the same as being there in person it still allows us to connect with our loved ones and check in with them. In order for the spread of the virus to decrease it is essential that everyone follows the guidelines set out by the government and remains in lockdown.
Again remember it is perfectly normal to feel anxious, stressed or isolated during this time.
Love and Light,
Jade Finlay
BACP Membership number: 00949780
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References and Resources:
Apps to use to connect virtually:
Zoom (great for conferencing and online courses)
Houseparty (great to connect with friends and compete in trivia games)
Netflix Party (synchronises movie watching only on a desktop or laptop)
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